Okey-dokey, everyone, here's the next chappie!

The Suitcase

Jason's eyes widened, tears eliminated and replaced with metallic blue shock. "Mr. Clark…" he muttered to himself, his voice barely audible in the din of the office. "Mr. Clark, you're—?"

Clark nodded. "I trust you, Jason. That means you can't tell anybody, okay?"

Jason wordlessly took the glasses out of Clark's hands, peering into the lenses. "Your big glasses…" he trailed off, looking back at Clark's face in utter disbelief. "You're Superman."

"I am," Clark confirmed, sitting down on the chair in his cubicle to look inconspicuous in his moment of vulnerability. Then, in a way that seemed so natural he hardly noticed it, he gently lifted up Jason's chin until their eyes met. "You're a very good friend to me, Jason. But if people know who I am, you might…" He tried to think of an explanation. "People like Lex Luthor might come after you to hurt me. So nobody can ever know."

"Nobody can ever know," Jason repeated dutifully. He saw Lois approaching and stuck the glasses with precision beyond his years. But it only took one glance at Jason's still befuddled face to remember just how young he was. "Can Mommy know?"

His voice broke. "No," he whispered. "Mommy can't know."

"Why?" Jason asked.

"Okay, we're ready, hon. Let's go," Lois said, grabbing Jason's free hand.

Jason didn't move for a second, narrowing his eyes at the glass-clad Clark as if taking a mental snapshot. "Good-bye, Mr. Clark," Jason finally said. "I won't tell anyone."

Clark smiled at him. "I know."

Lois rolled her eyes playfully. "Big secrets, eh?" she laughed, ruffling Jason's hair affectionately.

"Oh, yes," Clark said amiably, chuckling. Hey, he wasn't lying, was he?

"Thanks for playing with him. See you at lunch tomorrow," said Lois, waving as she left the office.

"See you," he called after her, watching Jason's back.

He continued to type late into the afternoon until the sun began to set. He knew that it was only a matter of time until he'd fly out again for another chaotic night saving the world. Funny how being a superhero never came with endorsements—man, would he be set. And able to afford an apartment. He bit his lip. If he was going to avoid looking suspicious, he'd better—

"Kent," Perry called from his office.

Clark checked the time. Three minutes to eight o'clock, when he usually got off and started flying. It would definitely be an inconvenience for Perry to demand an article now…with all the research and typing, he'd be fifteen minutes late, and god only knew what could happen in such a small amount of time.

Wordlessly, Clark rose from his cramped cubicle and walked into Perry's office. "You called me?" he asked, eyes expectant.

Clark gulped when he saw the suitcase in Perry's hands. "I found this in the storage closet," he said, prompting the reporter to reply.

"Oh," Clark said vaguely, feeling himself start to sweat. "I must have forgotten it with my other things."

"That's weird, considering it seems to have all of your clothes, your passport, your Daily Planet identification card and your wallet in it," Perry mused, his eyebrows raised in the younger man's direction.

"Really?" Clark managed. "I guess I…I've been busy lately, I didn't notice."

"How have you been getting in the building, then?"

Clark frowned. "I…"

Perry sighed. "Look, Clark, I won't ask questions, but a word of advice: find a place to live," the editor said, a smile playing on his lips.

"But I—"

Perry heaved the suitcase up and handed it to Clark, who held it with ease. "The only question I will ask is this—why were you missing last week?"

"Well, um, Mr. White, my mother…was a bit rattled by the earthquake and needed my help. I forgot to call. I'm really sorry," he said sincerely.

"Don't forget next time. You're lucky you have your job," Perry warned him.

Clark nodded. "I know. Thank you."

His heart still pounding in his head and his face slightly red from embarrassment, he collected the suitcase, signed out of the office and headed towards the exit. It only occurred to him that he had nowhere to put his belongings halfway into the alley he intended to change in. He stopped for a moment, trying to think, and eventually settled on running back up to the Daily Planet offices and stuffing it in a closet on a different floor.

Then, in the two seconds it took for him to super speed into the alley and strip into his Superman suit, Clark Kent was out into the night.

SSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS

"Clark, I'm really sorry, but I'll have to cancel the lunch," Lois said regretfully, coming up to Clark's desk with a guilty expression.

"Oh…" Clark cleared his throat, a bit surprised. He composed himself. "Busy with stories. I understand. Maybe we can reschedule?" he asked.

Lois nodded. "It's just, it turns out—" She shook her head, a bitter grin forming. "I forgot it was Saturday," she admitted to him, resting her hands on his desk and leaning towards him.

Clark laughed. "I don't get it. What's so bad about Saturday?"

"Mommy, I'm bored," Jason complained, pouting. He saw Clark and his face lit up. "Hi, Mr. Clark," he chirped.

"I've got Jason with me," Lois explained. "Rain check?"

"I wouldn't mind if Jason came along. He's a good friend of mine, you know," he said to Lois, a smile on his face.

"Yeah, great friends," Jason agreed, smiling the same smile. Lois did a double-take before lingering on Clark.

"Whoa," she muttered, running a hand through her hair. "What are you two, clones of each other?" she joked.

Clark laughed nervously. "I see more of you in him than anything," he said, careful not to mention Richard. Lois knew about Superman being the father. A flying piano was a little too much to ignore. But Jason was clever. He'd hone his skills as Clark had on the farm.

Now where were they going to get a distant, middle-of-nowhere farm for Jason? Martha Kent might be getting a few visits…He stopped fantasizing and returned to the cramped cubicle in the Daily Planet, his computer poised for typing, the love that could have been staring at him and the son he'd been unaware of for years grinning his sheepish grin.

It was all worth it if Jason was still there. He had Jason's company, if nobody else's.

"Aw, shucks, Smallville. Thanks," she teased. "Are you sure you don't mind?"

"Of course not," said Clark, waving her off. "In fact, I'm sure it would be a heck of a lot more interesting with crayons and a kid's menu to order off of. I'm getting quite sick of the adult fare myself."

"Good to hear." She thought for a moment. "How does lunch with Clark sound, hon?" she asked him.

"Great!" Jason agreed happily, shaking the plastic snow globe on Clark's desk. "Did you get this while you were traveling?" he asked Clark, the question innocent but his eyes mischievous.

"I did," said Clark. "In…Sweden."

"Sweden?" Lois repeated. "Wow, you really were all over. Sick of Kansas, I presume."

"Nah. Never sick of Kansas. Like Dorothy said, there's no place like home." Clark would have grinned—he'd stopped long enough to remember something about pop culture and make a clever reference to it!—but he figured that going "YES!" really loudly would make him look even dorkier than he already was.

"I'm assuming you're still sending money to your mother, then," said Lois, remembering her first encounter with Clark the day he'd been hired.

He nodded, blushing. "I don't need it." What with no apartment as of yet…He bit his lip, thinking that perhaps a to-do list should be in order.

"I take it you aren't a beer-chips-and-football type," she quipped. Then she checked her watch. "Well, we'd better get going. It's only a few blocks from here. Ready to go?"

"Ready," said Clark, shutting off his documents on the computer.